(Poughkeepsie) will be the guest speaker at the organizational meeting to be held on Wednesday, November 16th at 8 PM at Greenburgh Town Hall to plan a lobbying effort to turn the old Tappan Zee bridge into a suburban high line when the new bridge is built. Mr. Schaeffer spent many years advocating for the walkway. Many people said it was not practical, could not work. But—Mr. Schaeffer persisted. And, today the Walkway over the Hudson is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Hudson Valley. The walkway over the hudson has been very helpful to local businesses and to the economy.

David Wilson of the Bike Walk Alliance of Westchester/Putnam will also speak. We expect to ask state officials to hire an independent structural engineer to review the feasibility of this proposal.

White Plains Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona is co-chairing the task force. She has created a new website: www.tappanbridgepark.com. Councilwoman Lecuona has 30 years of experience in architecture and urban planning.

It makes no sense to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to demolish the old TZ bridge when the bridge could be enjoyed by millions. I envision bicycle/pedestrian/skateboarding, possible gardens, sculptures, summer entertainment on the suburban high line.

If you are interested in joining the committee – please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria of the Town Hall since another meeting is being held in the auditorium. My cell phone is 914 438 1343.

As promised, the town will hold a community meeting at Crane’s Pond on Saturday, November 19th at 10 AM to discuss the proposed elevated crosswalk that is being suggested for the road. In the event of rain/snow we will reschedule for December 3rd at 10 AM. The total cost is $75,000 (using non taxpayer dollar developer escrow funds).

We will ask the consultant to show residents exactly where the crosswalk is being placed. I want to emphasize that once the crosswalk is placed at the location the town will not spend any taxpayer dollars to remove the crosswalk in the event that the community does not like it. This has been my major concern over the years. If residents don’t want the crosswalk to be placed at this location please attend the meeting and speak up—before it is too late! Advocates of the crosswalk believe that the elevated crosswalk will slow down traffic and increase pedestrian safety.

Edgemont residents who have other town related concerns are invited to attend the meeting this Saturday at 10 AM. We want to be responsive to the Edgemont community and are always interested in your feedback.